Ebony Magazine Remembers USCTs

One of the richest sources for a black counter-memory of the Civil War is Ebony magazine. Throughout the Civil War Centennial in the 1960s and beyond the magazine published articles that addressed the crucial role that African Americans played in Union victory. No topic received more attention than USCTs. You can view old issues through Google Books and it has proven to be incredibly helpful as I write about how black Americans remembered the battle of the Crater during this period.

Hurt’s illustrations emphasize the bravery and manliness of USCTs as well as the sacrifice made on the battlefield. The image above is by far the most powerful. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a stark image of a black soldier plunging his bayonet through a Confederate officer before the movie Glory.

I don’t have that reaction at all. In fact, I don’t have any feelings about it. I would say that it reflects a desire on the part of the illustrator and perhaps even the readers of Ebony to see such a specific display of violence.

While the article leaves much to be desired in terms of accurate history, the illustrations are fabulous! After Gardner ran the rebel officer through with his bayonet he then pulled the trigger on his musket. I’m thankful the illustrator chose not to go there.

For the Civil War buffs among us, it’s really worth spending some time over at Kevin Levin’s blog, Civil War Memory. I can’t act like I discovered the place–some readers brought it to my attention. But it’s a great blog dealing in exactly what its title claims.